Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid icon and father of modern South Africa, dies  —  The evolution of Nelson Mandela  —  (CNN) — Freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa's symbol of the struggle against racial oppression.  —  That was Nelson Mandela, who emerged from prison …

President Clinton Doodled Male Genitalia (We Think) and It Was Glorious  —  The image above comes from the hacker Guccifer, who reportedly got access to the Clinton Library and allegedly obtained unreleased doodles.  Guccifer famously broke into George W. Bush's emails and revealed that the former preisdent paints dogs.

Obama Approval Down Most Among Hispanics in Past Year  —  Hispanics' approval has fallen from 75% in December 2012 to 52% in November  —  PRINCETON, NJ — President Barack Obama's job approval rating averaged 41% in November, down 12 percentage points from 53% last December, his high-water mark since his first year in office.

Obama Gets Real  —  Much of the media commentary on President Obama's big inequality speech was cynical.  You know the drill: it's yet another “reboot” that will go nowhere; none of it will have any effect on policy, and so on.  But before we talk about the speech's possible political impact …

Biden or Clinton?  Obama won't choose  —  President Obama stayed neutral Thursday about his possible sucessor, saying both Vice President Biden and former secretary of State Hillary Clinton “would make outstanding presidents.”  —  Asked to “compare and contrast” the pair's presidential attributes …

President Obama acknowledges having lived with his uncle  —  President Obama acknowledged on Thursday that he lived with his Kenyan uncle for a brief period in the 1980s while preparing to attend Harvard Law School, contradicting a statement more than a year ago that the White House had no record of the two ever meeting.

Republican candidates shift their messages on Obama healthcare law  —  In a significant development, GOP candidates have embraced a concept that was unthinkable a year ago: fixing President Obama's landmark law.  Others, meanwhile, have offered replacement healthcare plans.

Obamacare's architects plugged their ears and misled public  —  BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE SUPREME COURT MEDICARE AND MEDICAID  —  In 1970 the eccentric but insightful economist Albert Hirschman published a book called Exit, Voice and Loyalty.  It explored how people respond when a private firm's …

Budget Deal?  Big Obstacles, New Year's Deadline  —  With hopes of a “grand bargain” long gone, congressional negotiators now are seeking a more modest deal before year-end to ease the automatic spending cuts that are squeezing both the Pentagon and domestic federal programs.  But the going is getting rougher.

Cruz refers to controversial law as advice to conservative group  —  Washington (CNN) - Republican Sen. Ted Cruz's advice for a conservative group facing criticism and hardship: “Stand your ground.”  —  The choice of words appeared to be a reference to a string of negative press …

Obama plans new limits on NSA surveillance  —  President Barack Obama said Thursday that he'll be reining in some of the snooping conducted by the National Security Agency, but he did not detail what new limits he plans to impose on the embattled spy organization.  —  “I'll be proposing some self-restraint on the NSA.

No budget deal this week  —  Washington (CNN) - Note to anyone watching the high-stakes, trillion-dollar budget talks in Washington: you can take a break from constantly checking for a deal.  Senior Republican and Democratic aides tell CNN that the two leaders running negotiations …

If you want someone to listen to you on race, you don't start by likening him to a slaveowner  —  Liberal writer Jonathan Chait wrote an extended analogy as a blog post today, and it's unambiguous that the analogy is this: Conservative critics today are to President Obama as slaveholders were to slaves who dared speak their mind.

ABC brass nixed Barbara Walters' pick of Edward Snowden as year's most fascinating person  —  Michael Bolton's happy to be backup at charity gala; Will Ferrell keeps Ron Burgundy at a distance  —  Barbara Walters wanted Edward Snowden to be at the top of her list of 10 most fascinating people of 2013.

Nigeria's Boko Haram strikes again in Cameroon  —  Missionary killed, churches torched around time of French priest's kidnapping  —  A missionary has been killed and several churches set ablaze in attacks by Nigeria's Islamist group Boko Haram in neighbouring Cameroon.